Grabavoy finds offensive spark

Sophomore midfielder Ned Grabavoy came to the IU soccer program as a highly touted high school phenom looking to prolong the tradition of excellence of IU men's soccer. After an injury-plagued season last year and a scoreless first five matches this season, it was just a matter of time before Grabavoy got his offense going. That time has come.\nBeginning with IU's match against Air Force on Sept. 13, Grabavoy has notched a point in all six \nHoosier games. He is averaging two points a game over that span. He had the game-winning penalty kick in IU's 1-0 double overtime victory at Penn State and also had the game-winning goal in the Hoosiers 2-0 win over Butler. Grabavoy also tied a school record when he collected four assists at Michigan State. He is the third leading scorer on the team with 12 points on three goals and six assists. Only seniors Pat Noonan and Ryan Mack have more points on the season.\nCoach Jerry Yeagley is not surprised Grabavoy has picked up his play for the Hoosiers.\n"Ned is a special player on the ball," Yeagley said. "We need to have him have the ball more, when he has the ball you always feel something good can happen, something exciting will happen. He is the kind of player that gets you on the edge of your seat as a coach and as a spectator."\nAlthough his role on IU is not strictly as a goal scorer, but rather as an offensive creator, Grabavoy has managed to find the back of the net in three consecutive games. His recent success has not gone unnoticed as he was named to College Soccer News' National Team of the Week for last week.\nDespite his small 5-7, 155 lb. build, Grabavoy uses precise technical skills to rouse the crowd and leave opposing defenders lying on the ground in disgust after he slips past.\nJunior midfielder Vijay Dias credits Grabavoy for jumpstarting offensive chances for the Hoosiers.\n"Ned has some great skill and good vision," Dias said. "He makes it easier on all of us by spreading the ball and creating chances for us."\nGrabavoy, a native of New Lenox, Ill., has had success at all levels of soccer. He was the National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Player of the Year in 2000. Grabavoy was also the Illinois Player of the Year and led his Lincoln-Way High School team to a 54-2-2 record in 1999 and 2000 while scoring over 40 goals both seasons.\nPlaying for the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, Grabavoy won two regional championships, a national club soccer championship in 1999 and was a runner-up national champion in 2000. Grabavoy was the captain of the United States Under-18 National Team in 2000-2001 and played for a runner-up US U-20 National Team at an international tournament in Spain in August.\nGrabavoy said he started playing soccer when he was 4 ½ years old, but did not start playing competitively until he was 11 or 12.\n"When I started playing for the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, that was the time when I got real serious about it," Grabavoy said. "I would say that the biggest impact on my soccer career was my club coach, Mike Matkovich, he taught me so much he has definitely got to be my biggest influence since he was my coach for everything since I was 12 until I left to come to school here."\nMatkovich, the founder and director of the Chicago Magic club, said he knew Grabavoy was a special player the first time he saw him play and wanted to have him play for the Chicago Magic Soccer Club. Matkovich also noted that Grabavoy was part of a pipeline of players to play for Chicago Magic and then go on to IU, including Hoosier senior Michael Bock.\n"We have had maybe 15 or 20 pros come through our program, but I think Ned is clearly head and heels above of those guys at this stage. Indiana is a great program and we kind of have a pipeline going there and Ned has kind of paved the way for that. Our other top guy coming out this year, Jed Zayner out of Carl Sandburg High School, he is coming to Indiana and has committed to them."\nMatkovich credits Grabavoy's achievements to his work ethic and mental attitude.\n"All the years I have known him, Ned is one of the hardest working guys on and off the field," Matkovich said. "He deserves everything he gets because he puts such a good effort in. I can't say enough about him and even as a human being, he is like my son, over the years we have banged heads quite a bit, but it has always been in trying to push him along."\nWith the success Grabavoy has attained it seems plausible that the next step would be leading the Hoosiers to their seventh consecutive College Cup appearance and sixth national championship.